Bleacher Report - FC Barcelona

Athletic Bilbao V Barcelona Online Football Preview: La Liga

Sports Betting Review — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:48:58 -0500

Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona

21st November, 2009

San Mamés

Kick-Off: 22:00 CET / 21:00 GMT

Barcelona

Barcelona will likely have enjoyed the international break as the club were starting to look shaky at times heading into this Athletic vs Barcelona match.

There’s a huge gap that separates the top teams in Spain and the rest of the pack. Barcelona and Real Madrid are the obvious giants, so when Barcelona struggled to a 1-1 draw with Osasuna and two very poor Champions League performances against Rubin Kazan, perhaps it was good timing for the international matches.

Nevertheless, Barcelona are still flying high and topping the La Liga table with a one point advantage over Real Madrid.

The club are yet to lose in the league and with the tools available to them, Barcelona will be expected, once again, to win in this Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao clash.

Athletic Bilbao

Athletic Bilbao will welcome the defending La Liga champions to the San Mames stadium on Saturday for this Athletic vs Barcelona match, looking to build off a fine derby win over Racing Santander.

Joaquin Caparros’ side put in a very impressive performance as the Basque side deservedly walked out 2-0 winners. The win must be considered even more impressive as Athletic were without their star striker Fernando Llorente.

The Spanish international will likely be back in action for Athletic - Barcelona on Saturday, and his goal scoring prowess will certainly be welcome against the Champions.

Bilbao currently sit in the middle of the table and their record of five wins, five losses and one draw indicates that is where they belong.

From time to time the club puts in a really amazing performance, but they must be considered a mid-to-bottom half of the table kind of team.

Prediction

Barcelona won all three of the meetings between the clubs last season. The Barca - Athletic Bilbao clash at Camp Nou ended 2-0, whilst the reverse Athletic - Barcelona match finished 1-0 in favour of the Catalan side.

A 4-1 thumping of Bilbao in the final of the Copa del Rey was undoubtedly the highlight of the three for Barcelona. Whilst Saturday's match should be a little more evenly-matched, expect Barcelona to bounce back from their recent blip in form and post a victory.

Athletic vs Barcelona Prediction: Athletic 0 - Barcelona 1

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Athletic Bilbao vs. FC Barcelona Quick Preview from a Barca Point of View

Isaac Asante — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:02:41 -0500

This is a full version article, get more here.

A comprehensive 4-2 home victory over Mallorca for FC Barcelona two weeks ago should normally serve the Catalans as a morale-boosting result ahead of their weekend away match against Athletic Bilbao in La Liga.

The Spanish League titleholders have not really managed to keep the luck and strength they showed last season, but regardless, they still hold the first place in the standings.

Surely, this is because of Real Madrid’s incapability to remain in winning ways, yet Barcelona could suffer a drop in the standings if they fail to get a victory at the San Mames stadium on Saturday.

FC Barcelona - Dealing with Exhaustion

It is indeed true that matches played by Barcelona’s biggest stars during their recent international duties could have an impact on their display this weekend. Certainly, this would be understandable, but then, bearing in mind that Real Madrid’s rotation policy could help Los Blancos in terms of fitness and match preparation against Racing Santander, Barcelona would certainly have to put their fatigue behind.

This definitely calls for determination…

Enhancing the back

Recent matches have clearly revealed that Barcelona’s defenders need a whole new way of protecting their goal line, so as to prevent their opponents from scoring in almost every single match they play; but nonetheless, it looks like coach Pep Guardiola is more concerned by the work of his front men than the mistakes of his back players.

Most goals conceded by Barcelona recently have been coming from dreadful faults in the Catalans’ own half. Perhaps, a stronger midfield could do be the ideal solution to solve such a dangerous problem, but then, it would be unacceptable to rely on specific parts of the team only, instead of the entire squad.

At least the defense would have to be blameless before the manager decides to handle games over to his attackers; however, this is not the case for the Spanish League titleholders.

Well, these negative facts should immediately be taken seriously by manager Guardiola, if ever he is to prevent Athletic Bilbao from making his side pay for the humiliating, historic moment when they defeated the Basques 4-1 in the Copa del Rey final, and 5-1 on aggregate in the Spanish Super Cup single-legged encounter.

Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona - The Score Line

To be honest, I personally can’t really predict the score line, but I certainly can predict that the match will not end in more than a 5-goal thriller. What about you fans, what do you believe?

You might want to let me know your opinions through comments, and maybe, check here.

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Cultures Collide When Barcelona faces Bilbao

Jack — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:10:14 -0500

Throughout Spain's long history, regional and national identities have always butted heads. The idea of a unified Spain has always sparked controversy in a land with so many diverse and differing cultures.

No two regions exemplify this better than Catalunya and the Basque Country. Coincidentally, both of these sections of Spain use their football teams as the most public expression of their heritage.

In Catalunya, FC Barcelona is a source of pride and love for Catalans. The colors of the Catalan flag are in the club's badge. The team itself uses Catalan as the official language, not Spanish.

Barcelona's club motto is in Catalan and reads "Mes que un club" or "more than a club." The saying alludes to the club standing as symbol of a nation, not just a team that plays football.

In the Basque Country, Athletic Bilbao plays a similar role. Los Leonas are so passionate about their Basque heritage that they only use players with Basque ancestry, although they prefer to use players born in the Basque Country itself.

Barcelona's team has a history of signing foreigners, but they still count on a strong contingent of Catalan players including Xavi Hernandez, Carles Puyol, Bojan Krkic, Victor Vales, and Gerard Pique. These players have represent Catalunya's National Team as well as Spain's.

Barcelona is certainly one of the biggest clubs in the world and are the second most successful club in Spain, but few outside the country know that Athletic Bilbao are Spain's third most successful club, having won eight La Liga Titles. Bilbao has also won the Copa del Rey 24 times, a number only bettered by Barcelona after the Catalans beat Bilbao in last year's final.

Bilbao have great young stars in Fernando Llorente and Javier Martinez, but they can come no where near the star power of Barcelona.

After a week of international games, Barcelona's players could be tired from their exertions after exploitations with their national teams. Interestingly, the only major injury worry for Barca is a player who did not take part in a match for his national team, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Ibra will miss the match with a thigh injury which could mean a starting role for Bojan or Pedro.

The match will take place in Bilbao's historic San Memes Stadium, called "The Cathedral" and will be a return to club football for Irish nemesis Thierry Henry.

After all of the outcry following the Frenchman's handball to help knock out the Republic of Ireland from the World Cup, it will be interesting to see how Henry will play after such a hectic and emotionally draining week. The France captain will certainly be happy to get back to a normal routine with his club after being made a villain world wide for his actions Wednesday.

Henry's France teammate Eric Abidal is also likely to miss out, which should see a rare start for Maxwell at leftback.

Barcelona's players will also take the match knowing that their Champions League future will be in the balance on Tuesday when Inter come to the Camp Nou. Any injuries could be catastrophic if Barcelona wants to retain the Champions League trophy.

With all the possible distractions and Ibrahimovic's absence, the scene is set for the upset, especially in front of 40 thousand Basques who will like nothing more than to knock off the team that pipped them for their first major trophy in fifteen years last season.

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Transfer Talk: Should Barcelona Buy Liverpool's Javier Mascherano?

Jack — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:11:43 -0500

The English press has speculated that a deal could be in the works for Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano to join Barcelona in the January transfer window. Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola made no secret of his desire to purchase the Argentina international, but talks eventually died as the two clubs could not come to an agreement.

It seems now that the door has been reopened for the switch, but the question is, would Mascherano be a wise buy for Barcelona?

Although Mascherano has failed to win any trophies since joining the Reds, he was an integral part in the club’s second place finish last year. The former River Plate star is one of the highest rated passers in the English Premier League and is also one of the most successful tacklers.

At the international level, El Jefecito has been a main stay in Argentina's starting 11 since the 2004 Copa America. He is also a two time Olympic Gold Medalist.

Despite his good play, Mascherano’s family is unsettled in England and his relationship with Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez has turned sour, so his departure from Merseyside is imminent, but it is strange that Barcelona would be a top contender.

Guadriola already has the more versatile Yaya Toure at his disposal in central midfield. The six foot three inch Toure adds a dimension of height so often missing in the Barcelona team. Although Seydou Keita has been playing more this season, Guardiola’s preferred midfield features Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta sitting slightly ahead of Toure.

Should Guardiola sign Mascherano to replace Toure, Barcelona’s starting midfield would all stand under five feet seven inches.

Toure’s height is especially valuable in the air on set pieces, an area Xavi and Iniesta offer almost no help. The Ivorian also has the capacity to drop back and play in central defense, a role he took up fantastically in the Champions League semifinal and final.

Mascherano’s purchase can be validated due to the departures of Keita and Toure to the African Cup of Nations in January, but youth product Sergio Busquets could easily step into the midfield holding role. Busquets played an important role at the latter end of last season and has become a favorite of Spain coach Vicente del Bosque.

Guardiola will have no problem giving Busquets a starting place while the African Cup of Nations is taking place, but with several important games, including a crucial match with title contenders Sevilla on Jan. 17, he will want cover for the young Catalan star.

Although depth would be needed, Mascherano is the captain of Argentina and has played in the Champions League Final with Liverpool, he would be less than thrilled to be used solely as back up for departed players. His price tag, which could fall anywhere between 20 and 40 million euros, would be an awfully expensive sum to pay for a squad player.

Therefore, the only way to endorse the purchase of Mascherano is to sell Toure. Clubs in Italy have made their interest known in the former Monaco man and his brother Kolo has made a plea for his international colleague to join him at Manchester City.

No one can argue that Mascherano is a great player and sensational in the tackle. However, if he is signed by Barcelona one has to wonder when Sergio Busquets will be given the chance to start full time. For a club so intent on bringing youth through the ranks, Mascherano’s signing does not seem viable.

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